1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mounting brackets and, more particularly, to a mounting bracket for constraining a hand truck inside the cargo bay of a delivery truck and for allowing a quick kick-release of the hand truck when needed.
2. Description of the Background
Professional movers and logistics companies invariably use hand trucks to move boxes, appliances, furniture, vending items and more. Hand trucks are so essential to smooth distribution that significant research and development goes into making better hand trucks.
For example, UPS™ has a long history of supporting design improvements to further the comfort and safety of all its employees. The company has invested more than $180 million during the past five years on safety-related initiatives. These include small changes such as reducing the rear door step height of delivery trucks from ten inches to six inches to enable drivers and loaders easier access with less effort. They also include significant design efforts for the hand trucks used by their drivers. UPS purchases an average of 13,000 new hand trucks every year. Their vendors tend to listen, so UPS requires hand trucks to be constructed of aluminum instead of steel to minimize weight. They also specify an additional handle for more control and maneuverability, and larger wheels to make for easier maneuvering.
Unfortunately, there is one problem as yet unaddressed by UPS, as well as other logistics carriers, movers and freight companies. When the moving is complete the hand truck is thrown into the cargo bay of the truck and the truck heads home. During transit hand trucks tend to bang and bounce around in the truck. Indeed, a few have caused significant injury to drivers.
It would, therefore, be greatly advantageous to provide a locking bracket for securing hand trucks to any surface, and especially to the floor of the cargo bay of a delivery truck. This presents a number of challenges. For one, commercial hand trucks are unwieldy and any containment bracket must of necessity be very sturdy. Also, any locking bracket must be equipped with a quick-release for easy detachment of the hand truck. In addition, there are scarce few ways of securing a hand truck to begin with. Commercial hand trucks comprise a tubular aluminum frame with two pneumatic wheels. The total hand truck height typically ranges from 40-60″, and frame width from 10-16″. The frame extends down to a cast aluminum “nose plate” typically 10-16″ wide and 4-8″ deep. The axle bearing the wheels is raised a few inches off the ground, and when laid on its back the frame remains raised off the ground. Consequently, there is not much opportunity for a locking bracket to latch onto anything. Fortunately, the vast majority of professional grade hand trucks employ nose plates in the form of a “figure 8”, such that the flat rectangular nose plate is defined by two opposing rectangular apertures separated by a central strut. The present inventor views this central strut as an excellent anchor point for a locking bracket.